Process Engineering Specialist

Join Our Mission at Takealot Fulfilment Solutions | We Are TFS

Revolutionising e-commerce logistics in South Africa with cutting-edge technology and operational excellence. We deliver 30+ million orders annually, empowering businesses and driving economic growth.

Who We're Looking For:

Innovative, ambitious individuals ready to shape the future of e-commerce logistics. At TFS, "Uniquely You" meets "Powerfully Us", where your individuality strengthens our collective mission.

Purpose of this role : The Process Engineering Specialist leads a structured, business-wide programme to create, understand, optimise, and standardise Takealot’s key operational processes -driving measurable business value through process improvement, visibility, and change management. This is a role for an up and coming engineer who is methodical, analytical, and eager to gain deep exposure to the inner workings of a large-scale e-commerce operation. The successful candidate will move across multiple business functions, engaging with process owners and frontline teams to understand how work is performed today, identify where value is trapped or lost, and drive improvements that unlock that value - then codify the optimised processes into clear, standardised documentation that sustains the gains. This is not a documentation-only role. The person in this seat is responsible for the full improvement lifecycle: understanding the current state, identifying optimisation opportunities, quantifying the business case, driving the change with stakeholders, and embedding the improved process through documentation, training, and governance.

This position reports to the Head: Solutions and Architecture (TBC)

Your responsibilities can include:

Process Discovery, Mapping & Visibility :

• Cross- functional Engagement: Engage with stakeholders across operations teams (including warehouse/inbound, catalogue, customer service,seller onboarding, and other operational functions as scoped with the project lead) to understand and document current-state processes end-to-end.
• Operational Walkthroughs: Conduct interviews, process walkthroughs, and on-floor observations to capture how work is actually performed, not just how it is intended to be performed.
• Standardised Notation: Map processes using standardized notations (BPMN, swimlane diagrams, decision-tree formats) to create a shared, visual understanding of how work flows across functions.
• Dependency Mapping: Identify process owners, inputs, outputs, and interdependencies between functions.
• End-to-End Visibility: Build process visibility to give stakeholders a clear, shared picture of how work moves through the operation, where bottlenecks sit, and where data, handoffs, or decisions create friction.
• Gap Identification: Uncover gaps, ambiguities, undocumented workarounds, and hidden process steps in current operations.

Process Optimisation & Business Value Unlocking :

• Inefficiency Analysis: Analyse mapped processes to identify inefficiencies — unnecessary steps, manual workarounds, duplicate processes across teams, bottlenecks, rework loops, and underutilised automation.
• Business Case Quantification: Quantify the business impact of identified opportunities (time saved, cost reduction, error reduction, throughput improvement, or capacity unlock) and build lightweight business cases for each.
• Prioritised Implementation: Recommend and help implement process improvements, working with process owners and the project lead to prioritise by impact and effort.
• Automation & AI Readiness: Identify opportunities for automation and AI-enablement where structured process data and standardised workflows create a foundation for technology-led improvement.
• Benefit Tracking: Track and measure the realised benefit of implemented improvements against the baseline, closing the loop between recommendation and outcome.

SOP Documentation & Standardisation :

• Produce clear, structured Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documents for each identified process area — capturing both the current state and, where improvements have been implemented, the optimised future state. Each SOP must capture:
• Data Sources: Databases, reporting dashboards, internal tools, and third-party platforms referenced or relied upon, including purpose and access methods.
• Existing Scripts & Automation: Capture details of existing SQL queries, Python/Shell scripts, scheduled jobs, API calls, or other automated routines executed as part of the process (including purpose, frequency, owner, and trigger locations).
• Inputs & Outputs: Specific requirements for each process step, including required approvals or sign-offs.
• Exception Handling: Procedures for resolving operational issues, escalation contacts, and decision criteria.
• Security & Compliance: Data access permissions, information-handling requirements, and compliance considerations.
• Visual Workflows: Flowcharts and process diagrams that complement rather than duplicate written procedures, maintaining clear BPMN/swimlane consistency.
• SOP Governance: Establish a sustainable review and update cadence so SOPs remain current as processes evolve.

Change Management :

• Rollout Planning: Plan and support the rollout of process changes with affected teams — ensuring stakeholders understand what is changing, why, and what it means for day-to-day work.
• Proactive Resistance Management: Identify potential resistance points and work with process owners to address them proactively.
• Training Aids: Develop or support the development of training materials, quick-reference guides, and onboarding aids that help teams adopt improved processes.
• Reinforcement & Governance: Ensure process changes are reinforced through updated documentation, system configurations, and governance checkpoints so improvements stick.
• Post-Implementation Review: Run post-implementation reviews to assess adoption, identify residual issues, and capture lessons learned.

Stakeholder Management & Validation :

• Validation & Sign-Off: Review draft SOPs and proposed improvements with process owners and stakeholders for accuracy, completeness, and buy-in.
• Version Control: Incorporate feedback and manage version control of all documentation.
• Technical Translation: Act as the technical interface between business needs and engineering/data teams, translating operational reality into documentation and improvement recommendations that support automation initiatives.
• Multi-Stakeholder Alignment: Manage multiple stakeholder relationships simultaneously across functions with differing priorities and operating rhythms.

Qualifications and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or a related discipline (Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Business/Systems Engineering, or Process Engineering).
• +3 years experience in process engineering, process improvement, industrial engineering, operations, or a related field. Internships, vacation work, and university projects involving process mapping or improvement
  are valued.

Attributes required :

• Process Mapping Tools: Proficiency in at least one of: Microsoft Visio, Lucidchart, draw.io, or similar.
• Process Notation Frameworks: Knowledge of BPMN, swimlane diagrams, or other standard process notation frameworks.
• Data Literacy: Familiarity with basic SQL and data querying concepts; ability to read and interpret query logic and pull data to support process analysis.
• Basic Scripting Awareness: Ability to recognise, understand at a high level, and document existing scripts, queries, or automated routines (e.g., SQL queries, Python/Shell scripts, scheduled jobs, API calls) used in day-to-day operations.
• AI / Automation Awareness: Basic understanding of how AI tools and automation platforms consume structured process data; awareness of how documented SOPs and mapped processes enable AI integration.
• Business Case Development: Ability to quantify process improvement impact in business terms (time, cost, throughput, error rate) and present lightweight justifications for action.

Change Management

• Understanding of change management principles - how to introduce process changes in a live operational environment without disrupting delivery.
• Ability to develop or support training materials, quick- reference guides, and onboarding aids.
• Stakeholder engagement skills to build buy-in and address resistance to change.

Communication & Collaboration

• Excellent communication skills to interface effectively with business stakeholders, engineering, and data teams.
• Strong documentation habits and a commitment to knowledge sharing across the team.
• Collaborative by nature, with the ability to manage multiple stakeholder relationships simultaneously.

Ownership & Delivery

• Self-driven with a strong bias for action and end-to-end ownership of deliverables.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, iterative environment with evolving priorities.
• Results-oriented, with a focus on delivering measurable business impact rather than just technical output.

Preferred (Nice-to-Have)

• Exposure to Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience in an e-commerce, retail, or logistics operations environment.
• Familiarity with process documentation tools that support AI-enabled workflows (e.g., tools that export structured data for automation pipelines).
• Experience supporting or leading process change in a live operational environment.

Why Join TFS:

• Purpose-driven impact: Transform lives through logistics innovation
• Advanced technology: Work with cutting-edge systems in a fast-paced environment
• Career growth: Thrive in an agile space that champions continuous improvement
• Inclusive culture: Your unique perspective drives extraordinary results

At TFS, your growth is our growth. You'll be joining a team powered by Takealot Group's core values. 

More than just a job, we offer: 

A culture that celebrates individual uniqueness while championing the strength of togetherness. Be part of creating sustainable, scalable solutions that make a difference across South Africa's e-commerce landscape.